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Best Japanese books
Tags: asian, asian-american, japan, and japanese

1
The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle
The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle
by Haruki Murakami, Jay Rubin (Translator) 47 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 4682
vote
2
Norwegian Wood
Norwegian Wood
by Haruki Murakami 42 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 4173
vote
3
Out
Out
by Natsuo Kirino 33 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 3273
vote
4
Kafka on the Shore
Kafka on the Shore
by Haruki Murakami, Philip Gabriel (Translator) 26 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 2555
vote
5
Battle Royale
Battle Royale
by Koushun Takami 21 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 2086
vote
6
Kitchen
Kitchen
by Banana Yoshimoto 14 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 1374
vote
7
The Woman in the Dunes
The Woman in the Dunes
by Abe Kōbō 13 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 1282
vote
8
A Wild Sheep Chase
A Wild Sheep Chase
by Haruki Murakami 12 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 1177
vote
9
Hardboiled Wonderland and the End of the World
Hardboiled Wonderland and the End of the World
by Haruki Murakami 12 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 1166
vote
10
South of the Border, West of the Sun
South of the Border, West of the Sun
by Haruki Murakami 12 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 1160
vote
11
After Dark
After Dark
by Haruki Murakami 11 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 1079
vote
12
The Sailor Who Fell From Grace with the Sea
The Sailor Who Fell From Grace with the Sea
by Yukio Mishima 10 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 987
vote
13
Grotesque
Grotesque
by Natsuo Kirino 10 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 979
vote
14
Ring
Ring
by Koji Suzuki 9 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 889
vote
15
Snow Country
Snow Country
by Yasunari Kawabata 8 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 782
vote
16
Shogun
Shogun
by James Clavell 8 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 779
vote
17
Kokoro
Kokoro
by Natsume Soseki 7 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 693
vote
18
The Temple of the Golden Pavilion
The Temple of the Golden Pavilion
by Yukio Mishima 7 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 677
vote
19
Silence
Silence
by Shusaku Endo 6 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 595
vote
20
The Tale of Genji
The Tale of Genji
by Murasaki Shikibu, Royall Tyler (Translator) 6 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 583
vote
21
Coin Locker Babies
Coin Locker Babies
by Ryu Murakami 5 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 498
vote
22
Snakes and Earrings
Snakes and Earrings
by Hitomi Kanehara 5 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 493
vote
22
Fires on the Plain
Fires on the Plain
by Shohei Ooka 5 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 493
vote
24
The Makioka Sisters
The Makioka Sisters
by Jun'ichiro Tanizaki 5 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 489
vote
25
Asleep
Asleep
by Banana Yoshimoto 5 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 486
vote
26
Beauty and Sadness
Beauty and Sadness
by Yasunari Kawabata 5 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 483
vote
27
After the Quake
After the Quake
by Haruki Murakami 5 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 481
vote
28
The Box Man: A Novel
The Box Man: A Novel
by Abe Kōbō 4 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 395
vote
29
Forbidden Colors
Forbidden Colors
by Yukio Mishima 4 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 393
vote
30
Sputnik Sweetheart
Sputnik Sweetheart
by Haruki Murakami 4 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 388
vote
31
Real World
Real World
by Natsuo Kirino 4 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 387
vote
32
Dark Water
Dark Water
by Koji Suzuki 4 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 386
vote
33
Cloud of Sparrows
Cloud of Sparrows
by Takashi Matsuoka 4 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 385
vote
33
Thousand Cranes
Thousand Cranes
by Yasunari Kawabata 4 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 385
vote
35
Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman
Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman
by Haruki Murakami 4 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 383
vote
36
Rashomon and Seventeen Other Stories
Rashomon and Seventeen Other Stories
by Ryunosuke Akutagawa 4 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 368
vote
37
Amrita
Amrita
by Banana Yoshimoto 3 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 297
vote
38
Almost Transparent Blue
Almost Transparent Blue
by Ryu Murakami 3 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 296
vote
39
Spiral
Spiral
by Koji Suzuki 3 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 294
vote
40
Loop
Loop
by Koji Suzuki 3 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 291
vote
41
I Am a Cat: Three Volumes in One
I Am a Cat: Three Volumes in One
by Natsume Soseki 3 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 287
vote
42
Never Let Me Go
Never Let Me Go
by Kazuo Ishiguro 3 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 285
vote
43
Dance, Dance, Dance
Dance, Dance, Dance
by Haruki Murakami 3 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 281
vote
44
Kafka on the Shore
Kafka on the Shore
by Haruki Murakami 3 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 271
vote
45
Black Rain: A Novel
Black Rain: A Novel
by Masuji Ibuse 2 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 199
vote
45
Shipwrecks
Shipwrecks
by Akira Yoshimura 2 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 199
vote
47
Nip the Buds, Shoot the Kids
Nip the Buds, Shoot the Kids
by Kenzaburo Oë 2 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 198
vote
47
Tales of Moonlight And Rain: A Study And Translation by Anthony H. Chambers
Tales of Moonlight And Rain: A Study And Transl...
by Ueda Akinari 2 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 198
vote
49
The Waiting Years
The Waiting Years
by Fumiko Enchi 2 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 196
vote
50
Autumn Bridge
Autumn Bridge
by Takashi Matsuoka 2 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 195
vote
51
The Pillow Book of Sei Shonagon
The Pillow Book of Sei Shonagon
by Sei Shonagon 2 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 189
vote
52
The Tale of Genji
The Tale of Genji
by Murasaki Shikibu, Edward G. Seidensticker 2 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 188
vote
53
All She Was Worth
All She Was Worth
by Miyuki Miyabe 2 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 185
vote
54
The Lake
The Lake
by Yasunari Kawabata 2 people voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 173
vote
55
No Surrender: My Thirty-Year War
No Surrender: My Thirty-Year War
by Hiroo Onoda 1 person voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 100
vote
55
Paradise
Paradise
by Koji Suzuki 1 person voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 100
vote
55
GOTH
GOTH
by Otsuichi, Kendi Oiwa 1 person voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 100
vote
55
The Gate
The Gate
by Natsume Soseki 1 person voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 100
vote
55
Kusamakura
Kusamakura
by Natsume Soseki 1 person voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 100
vote
55
Seventeen and J: Two Novels
Seventeen and J: Two Novels
by Kenzaburo Oë 1 person voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 100
vote
55
The Master of Go
The Master of Go
by Yasunari Kawabata 1 person voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 100
vote
55
The Sea and Poison
The Sea and Poison
by Shusaku Endo 1 person voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 100
vote
63
Lo bello y lo triste
Lo bello y lo triste
by Yasunari Kawabata 1 person voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 99
vote
63
A Quiet Life
A Quiet Life
by Kenzaburo Oë 1 person voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 99
vote
63
Palm-of-the-Hand Stories
Palm-of-the-Hand Stories
by Yasunari Kawabata 1 person voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 99
vote
63
The 47 Ronin Story
The 47 Ronin Story
by John Allyn 1 person voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 99
vote
67
The Unconsoled
The Unconsoled
by Kazuo Ishiguro 1 person voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 98
vote
67
Vida de Un Loco. Tres Relatos
Vida de Un Loco. Tres Relatos
by Ryunosuke Akutagawa 1 person voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 98
vote
67
The Wild Geese
The Wild Geese
by Ogai Mori 1 person voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 98
vote
67
Confessions of a Mask
Confessions of a Mask
by Yukio Mishima 1 person voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 98
vote
71
Obasan
Obasan
by Joy Kogawa 1 person voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 97
vote
71
The Samurai
The Samurai
by Shusaku Endo 1 person voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 97
vote
73
Silent Cry
Silent Cry
by Kenzaburo Oë 1 person voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 96
vote
73
Birthday
Birthday
by Koji Suzuki 1 person voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 96
vote
75
The Ocean in the Closet
The Ocean in the Closet
by Yuko Taniguchi 1 person voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 95
vote
75
1Q84, Volume 2
1Q84, Volume 2
by Haruki Murakami 1 person voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 95
vote
77
Musashi
Musashi
by Eiji Yoshikawa 1 person voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 94
vote
77
1Q84, Volume 1
1Q84, Volume 1
by Haruki Murakami 1 person voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 94
vote
79
And Then
And Then
by Natsume Soseki, Norma Moore Field (Translator) 1 person voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 93
vote
79
The Cat in the Coffin
The Cat in the Coffin
by Mariko Koike 1 person voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 93
vote
79
Spring Snow
Spring Snow
by Yukio Mishima, Michael Gallagher (Translator) 1 person voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 93
vote
82
Audition
Audition
by Ryu Murakami 1 person voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 92
vote
82
Runaway Horses
Runaway Horses
by Yukio Mishima 1 person voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 92
vote
84
Naomi: A Novel
Naomi: A Novel
by Jun'ichiro Tanizaki 1 person voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 91
vote
84
The Decay of the Angel
The Decay of the Angel
by Yukio Mishima 1 person voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 91
vote
86
The Temple of Dawn
The Temple of Dawn
by Yukio Mishima 1 person voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 90
vote
87
The Cannery Boat and Other Japanese Short Stories
The Cannery Boat and Other Japanese Short Stories
by Takiji Kobayashi 1 person voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 89
vote
88
Pinball, 1973
Pinball, 1973
by Haruki Murakami, Alfred Birnbaum 1 person voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 88
vote
89
Hear the Wind Sing
Hear the Wind Sing
by Haruki Murakami 1 person voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 87
vote
89
Usagi Yojimbo, Book 1: The Ronin
Usagi Yojimbo, Book 1: The Ronin
by Stan Sakai 1 person voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 87
vote
91
The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea
The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea
by Yukio Mishima 1 person voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 86
vote
92
A Wild Sheep Chase
A Wild Sheep Chase
by Haruki Murakami 1 person voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 84
vote
93
The Wind-up Bird Chronicle
The Wind-up Bird Chronicle
by Haruki Murakami 1 person voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 83
vote
94
The Elephant Vanishes
The Elephant Vanishes
by Haruki Murakami 1 person voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 80
vote
95
Goodbye Tsugumi
Goodbye Tsugumi
by Banana Yoshimoto 1 person voted »
didn't like itit was okliked itreally liked itit was amazing
score: 79
vote
List started by: Mitu (votes)
Lists are re-scored approximately every 500 seconds



people who voted on this list (165)

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More voters…


post a comment »
comments (showing 1-11 of 11) (11 new)

dateDown_arrow    newest »

message 1: by Mofo (new)
Nov 20, 2008 08:30AM

1426188 Why isn't Battle Royale on this list?


message 2: by Jenni (new)
Feb 16, 2009 06:22AM

1289966 If The Unconsoled is on this list, then Never Let Me Goshould be on it.


message 3: by Russell (new)
Apr 17, 2009 05:54AM

167609 kazuo ishiguro writes in english.


message 4: by Jenni (new)
Apr 17, 2009 06:25AM

1289966 Russell wrote: "kazuo ishiguro writes in english."

Correct, but The Unconsoled is on this list, and it is written by Ishiguro. :)


message 5: by John (new)
Apr 29, 2009 06:52PM

2106344 Mofo wrote: "Why isn't Battle Royale on this list? "

It is. 5th one down.


message 6: by Nelliel (new)
May 12, 2009 12:12AM

Nophoto-f-25x33 The Last Concubine by Leslie Downer...


message 7: by Nozomi (new)
May 22, 2009 10:05PM

1988380 The Tale of Genji needs to be on this list.


message 8: by Jenni (new)
May 26, 2009 06:52AM

1289966 Nozomi wrote: "The Tale of Genji needs to be on this list."

Agreed!



message 9: by Miumiu (new)
May 29, 2009 06:34AM

315253 Russell wrote: "kazuo ishiguro writes in english."

I was also surprised to see his work on the list as I don't consider him a Japanese writer, but then, categorisation is best served soft, right?


message 10: by Paul (new)
Jun 17, 2009 06:32AM

Nophoto-m-25x33 Kazuo Ishiguro not only writes in English, he IS English. 'The Unconsoled' shouldn't be on this list. It's not even set in Japan.


message 11: by Bill (new)
Jun 22, 2009 05:36PM

Nophoto-m-25x33 The Mishima novel I've re-read the most (Runaway Horses) isn't on this list, either.


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